WHEN teacher Les Churchman found his foreign students wanted more information about Notts, he didn't just direct them to Google.
Instead, he came up with his own guide which they could download for free onto their iPads.
Mr Churchman taught at Kirkby College, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, for 35 years and was head of languages when he retired.
But he continues to teach students across the world using the internet, and often uses Notts location in their learning.
His Explore Nottingham City And Nottinghamshire e-book has been available on the iPad bookstore for two weeks and can also be downloaded as a pdf.
Mr Churchman, 59, of Bridle Ways, East Bridgford, said: "It started because I'm teaching on the internet and a lot of students wanted to know what Nottinghamshire is like.
"People said, 'what are you going to show them?' But when I show them Wollaton Hall, they can't believe it. Such an impressive building and a deer park in a built-up area."
The e-book has already been downloaded in Brazil, America, Ecuador, Algeria and Egypt. Two of his Italian students visited Nottingham and used the e-book as their guide.
Mr Churchman said: "It's quite exciting when you have someone in Algeria in a desert talking about Wollaton Hall – they can't believe the grass is so green here."
The book covers more than 40 locations and features interactive links to the official website of each place.
Mr Churchman said: "It's quite new for its type, it has live web links and things.
"New technology has made it much easier to do these things.
"People think Nottinghamshire is just Robin Hood. When they find out that Sherwood Forest is quite small and there is no medieval castle, they might be disappointed, but I want to show what it is like. It motivates them to learn English more."
Two weeks after the launch, 30 people have downloaded the book and, though not traceable, feedback suggests that many others have downloaded the pdf version.
The book is 162 pages long and includes a host of Mr Churchman's original photographs, covering the county's most famous buildings, cultural sites and sporting clubs.
Mr Churchman has ambitious plans for the future.
He said: "Long term I want to make a bit of a name for these guides in the iPad bookstore and then use some of my contacts that I've got from language teaching to do a guide on their cities, like Cairo."
Erin Huckle, public relations manager atExperience Nottinghamshire, said: "We've been working with Les on his e-book project and it is now available to access via our website. It's great to see a local resident who is so passionate about the rich tourism offer here in Nottinghamshire, and he's done a top job in showcasing our major attractions."
Mr Churchman has given some of his photos to the city council and it has provided a few for his book.
A council spokesman said: "We welcome anything which helps to promote Nottingham's attractions and it's great that as an e-book, this guide is available anywhere in the world. We wish Les all the best with this venture and hope that it helps to generate interest in and visits to our great city."
What places in Notts would you highlight in a guide for visitors? E-mail newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk